


sick day

by frozensight



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superfamily, Established Relationship, Gen, M/M, Sickfic, Superfamily (Marvel), Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-20
Updated: 2015-02-20
Packaged: 2018-03-13 17:32:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3390173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frozensight/pseuds/frozensight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter wants to go to the zoo, but there's one tiny problem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	sick day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [goddammitamy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/goddammitamy/gifts).



> I've thought a lot about superfamily, but I've never written any, which surprises me a lot.

Tony doesn't have any meetings, Steve doesn't have any missions, _and_ the world doesn't need saving. It's their first day off together in months. They had planned to take Peter to the Central Park zoo—he'd been begging for weeks—but there is one tiny problem.

"A- _choo_!"

Peter's sick.

Steve looks down at their son from where he sits on the edge of his bed, while Tony stands at the foot of the bed, arms crossed and frowning at the scene before him.

"How'd he even get a cold? He's been in the Tower all week. The only people he's even been around is us and the rest of the team, and none of _them_ are sick."

"Just because no one else is sick doesn't mean they aren't carrying the germs." Steve ignores Tony as he mumbles about how he's going to make everyone go through a detoxification process before entering the penthouse levels, and focuses on Peter. "I'm sorry we can't go to the zoo today, sport."

Peter pouts even though his nose is red and he's a shade or two paler than normal. "I'm not _that_ sick, papa; I still wanna go!"

"You have to give the kid an A for tenacity." Tony, done with his security protocol mumblings, sits down on the other side of the bed, smiling down at Peter. "Don't worry, Pete; the animals will still be there when you're better."

"But _dad_ —"

"No buts, kiddo. House rules say that you gotta stay home if you're sick. I don't make the rules; I just follow them."

Peter narrows his eyes at Tony. "But papa says you never follow the rules, and that's why you're always sleeping in your workshop instead of your room."

Tony raises an eyebrow at Steve, but Steve is carefully avoiding his eyes, a small smile playing at his lips. "Well," Tony begins, glancing again at Steve, "I'm a grown up. I get to make my own choices, even if your papa doesn't always agree with them."

Still unconvinced, Peter's bottom lip juts out even more. "But Aunt Tasha says I'm a big boy now."

"Yes, but even big boys have to rest and get better." Steve smiles at him, brushing back his hair from his forehead and feeling his temperature. "Think of it this way, Pete: the sooner you get better, the sooner we'll be able to go to the zoo."

Peter falls silent, considering this, and then looks up at his fathers, Steve first and then Tony. He then holds out a pinky finger to each of them. "Pinky promise?"

Tony and Steve both complete the gesture and say, "We promise."

Content with this exchange, Peter nods and takes back his hands. "Okay; can I have some soup now, papa?"

"I'll go make some right now."

\-----

An hour later sees Peter sleeping on the couch in the big living room on the main floor, with Steve and Tony on either side of him. Even though Peter fell asleep twenty minutes into _Balto_ , neither man has felt the need to turn off the movie, just in case their son wakes up before it's over.

"I'm just saying, Steve, that the ostracization of Balto is completely unnecessary. Dogs are descended from wolves; it makes no sense to exclude and ignore a possible star sled dog just because it's half wolf."

"I agree, but as it's also a children's movie and historically inaccurate anyway, it's also irrelevant, Tony."

Tony's eyes narrow at him, a handful of popcorn halfway to his mouth. "What do you mean inaccurate? Balto led the team didn't he? I mean, obviously some liberties were taken with the talking animals and the doggy romance, but—"

"I _mean_ , that Balto and his team were technically one of many who ran that course. His team just happened to be the ones for the last leg in some of the worst of the storm." Steve takes a drink from his cup, pointedly staring at the television and not acknowledging the look Tony gives him.

"Alright Mr. Iditarod, how come you know so much about this?"

Steve rolls his eyes, setting his cup back on the table and then making sure Peter is still covered by his blankets. "Tony, I was seven when Balto and his team made it to Nome. Bucky and I went to Central Park that December just to see the statue when it was unveiled."

"Sometimes I forget you have more in common with great-grandfathers than thirty-somethings."

"I've been told I look remarkably good for a nonagenarian."

"What's a nontagretarian?" asks Peter groggily as he wipes his eyes, sniffling.

"Nonagenarian, and it means that your papa is about twice my age."

Peter gives both of his fathers a skeptical look before deciding he didn't care to debate that fact. Instead he faces Steve and asks, "Papa, can I have ice cream?"

"Ice cream isn't exactly something you eat when you're sick, Peter."

"But Uncle Clint let me eat ice cream the last time I was sick."

"Did he now?" Steve and Tony lock eyes over Peter's head before Steve looks back at Peter. "Well, Uncle Clint should've known better; you're supposed to eat lots of soup and crackers when you're sick. Ice cream is for when you're better."

Catching on to the disapproving tone in Steve's voice, Peter frowns slightly. "No ice cream?"

"Not today, kid, but I'll tell ya what." Tony pauses the movie that none of them were paying attention to anyway, and turns to Peter, "You _can_ have a cup of hot chocolate!"

Peter grins widely. "With lots of marshmallows?"

"Is there any other way? Super marshmallow-y hot chocolate, coming up!" Steve follows Tony into the kitchen, watching silently as Tony goes about warming up some water and getting the hot chocolate mix ready. "You got a problem with hot chocolate, Steve? Because if you think he'll actually drink a whole cup of tea, I'm willing to switch gears here."

Steve sighs, and Tony knows he's won. "I guess it's better than ice cream at any rate."

"Barton is never watching Peter without the supervision of another, more responsible, adult."

"Agreed."

\-----

Peter's fever spikes up later in the day, but with the help of more sleep and some children's motrin, it breaks by his bed time. Despite sleeping most of the day—when he wasn't eating or getting doted on by the rest of the team—Peter falls asleep easily once Steve carries him to his bedroom and tucks him in. Steve's only been gone maybe five minutes when he exits Peter's bedroom and returns to the living room, where everyone is still watching _Rise of the Guardians_ even though Peter's off to bed for the night.

"I still can't believe that's Alec Baldwin," mumbles Clint as he reaches out for the popcorn bowl in Natasha's lap.

"It's called _acting_ , Barton," replies Tony, who has shoved the blankets that Peter had been using onto the floor and has put his feet up on the couch beside him.

"It's called acting, Barton," mimics Clint under his breath before eating his handful of popcorn.

"I think the real marvel is this Sandman, who manages to communicate without even speaking," chimes in Thor, who's sitting on the couch next to Clint. "I am hopeful that he shall return."

"It's a kid's movie, so I'm sure he will." Bruce doesn't seem to be actively watching, what with a tablet having been held in front of his face the entire time, but Steve had caught him looking up from time to time.

"You never know," starts Natasha, as she holds the popcorn bowl deliberately out of Clint's reach, "When Mufasa died, he stayed dead. Outside of the whole cloud ghost sequence."

"Who is Mufasa?" asks Thor, his brow knitted in confusion.

"Oh we are so watching _The Lion King_ next." Tony lifts his feet up so Steve can sit back down, and then places his feet in Steve's lap. "It's practically your autobiography, big guy."

Clint chokes on his popcorn, and Steve is pretty sure it's because he's thinking of Loki as Scar. Natasha calmly pats his back, a small grin on her own face as she probably has very similar thoughts. Thor appears skeptical, like he's not sure about what everyone's laughing at, but he nevertheless seems amused. "I look forward to it, Anthony."

They continue watching the current movie, everyone ignoring the way that Natasha might have, just possibly, sniffed when Jack Frost is finally seen by a child—the fact she grabs Clint's hand and squeezes is _definitely_ ignored—and also that Bruce isn't even pretending to read his tablet anymore, but is actively paying attention to the movie.

When the movie ends, Tony all but jumps up to switch discs, grinning as he plops back down. "Get ready to watch a cinematic masterpiece, Thor."

Thor smiles back. "I'm sure I will enjoy it plenty."

Bruce snorts, tablet back in front of his face. Tony leans back so that he gets in Bruce's way and personal space. "You have a problem with _The Lion King_ , Banner?"

"It's a fine movie, Tony; I just think it's funny that we're a group of adults sitting around, continuing to watch movies targeted to children when the only child here has been put to bed."

Steve shrugs. "You could make a case for Tony based on his maturity levels; he's sometimes sixteen at best."

"Hey!" Everyone's laughing, and Tony pouts as the previews for movies long ago released play on the tv.

"Don't worry, Stark; Clint's right there with you," says Natasha, a smirk playing at her lips.

" _Hey_!"

The laughing and bickering doesn't die down until after Tony hits play, and then they all settle in to watch the movie and Thor's reaction.

\-----

Later that week, when Peter has fully recovered, the whole team goes with them to the zoo, even Bruce—who acted reluctant to join them, but seems to be enjoying himself nonetheless.

As they're walking home, everyone talks about their favorite parts. Peter's was the spider web play area and the sea lions. Clint is partial to the penguins, while Natasha seems to have preferred the snow leopards. Bruce won't admit to anything, but everyone had noticed how he'd lingered by the grizzly bears. Tony says that he preferred museums to zoos—less messy. Steve quietly concedes that the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn will probably always be his favorite, but he liked seeing different animals. The last person they interrogate is Thor.

"What was your favorite part, Uncle Thor?" asks Peter, turning his head to look behind him.

Thor replies, "I liked the small red panda creatures, but I will admit I am sad that there were no lions."

Clint laughs, reaching up to pat Thor's shoulder. "Don't worry, Thor; they got lions over at the Bronx."

"Verily?" inquires Thor, his face bright and hopeful.

"Verily, verily," answers Tony, a giant grin on his face.

"We can go there next time!" Peter looks back at his fathers. "Right?"

"Sure thing, sport," says Steve, smiling down at their son. "It's been a long time since I went to the Bronx Zoo."

Peter beams at them, and neither Steve or Tony can bring themselves to be mad when, from behind them, Clint suggests they go out for ice cream.


End file.
